Geospatial spread of e-cigarette vape shops in South Africa and the relationship with tobacco product use among adults

Abstract

We estimated the spatial distribution of e-cigarette vape shops in South Africa and measured associations with tobacco use among adults. We linked geocoordinates of identified vape shops to internet protocol addresses of individual participants in the 2018 Health 24 survey (n = 18,208). We used logistic regression to measure the associations between proximity to vape shops and tobacco-related behaviors. In total, we identified 240 vape shops; 49.6% of these were within a 5 km radius of a higher educational institution. Proximity to vape shops was associated with ever e-cigarette use among young adults aged 18–29 years (AOR = 1.33, 95%CI = 1.16–1.54). Efforts to regulate e-cigarette marketing can benefit public health.